Pre-Season 2018/19 - vs Victory

ah so we threw the game to save money. cunning

This is all true, but it doesn't really explain why we passed the ball so badly (and slowly)

Wow. Kopy was very average. He was totally out-muscled by part time Australian suburban players. We looked like 11 blokes who had never played together before trying to play a scratch game of park football. Rudan can talk a good game but I hope he and the squad got a big wake-up call last night. We're a LONG way off the pace.... Need to get back to Wellington and put their heads down and do some hard yards.

Last night emphasised the fact we need to have a target man to play off of. Without we seem to run around a little aimlessly.

I thought Nicholls showed a good engine and can see him playing a little deeper, if we can find a striker. Having a natural RB would be nice as well.

I thought Kopy did ok - didn't control the game at all, but in Fox he had little support and we certainly didn't try to press and win the ball so he mainly tracked.

Defensively I thought we did ok when they had 11 - held shape well, albeit deep.

Disappointing - particularly with the lack of attacking threat outside of Singh - bnut the season is an age. My biggest dissapointment is by losing this we lose the potential of more games at a higher level than what we can get here in NZ.

Fitness levels 10 weeks out from the start of a competition arent where they will end up being. Fitness has an effect on passing, combinations not yet clicking, passing routines not yet learned, coaching systems not yet fully understood or practised. Simply put its 10 weeks out and the team are a long way from being ready and they played a team which are a long way through their season and have probably got the core of the team as team mantes for a number of seasons.

Its no surprise and no big deal to have this sort of performance so early in preseason.

Only saw about 2 mins of the match and it was a Bentleigh guy running through our midfield like Moses did with the Red Sea.

Ahh well bring on the A league. 

Maybe Doyle is a known quantity?

That was probably the big disappointment for me.  I just wanted to see him looking like quality player with a range of passing.  We need someone who can run the game for us in midifeld

good challenge for Rudan. A cup of reality. 

I don't think that's necessarily true, we just need the front three to link up better which will come 

I thought Dura was being farmed out and is now a back up. So who was playing with Taylor and what is the likely partnership at the back? 

A Rudes Awakening? 

Just an aside, 10-15 mins before the game I took a shortcut around the back of the club-rooms and saw Rudan there, by himself (in the dark), looking at his phone. He was there until the game started. He comes across as a bit of a strange unit.

Anyway, now I've calmed down a bit from last night, big concerns are;

- DM, Kopy does not look up to it. Was outplayed and out-muscled by amateur footballers. I can't see that magically changing. As this was our most important signing, this is a big issue.

- Striker. We do not have one. We were absolutely directionless up front, but I can see there's something there if we have a focal point to replace the dancing, ineffective feet of Nathan Burns. As we've, for some reason, used an import spot on a keeper - we will now be (imo) at least one major player short. I think Williams could do a job, but he's similar to our other forwards.

-Cacace. I was standing on his side of the pitch for the 2nd half and he lost the ball on quite a few occasions, in dangerous areas, in very simple ways. It was concerning. I thought we were instantly better when Doyle came on. I really rated Cacace this year, but it's not abnormal for young players to burst on the scene and then struggle to find similar form again.

Fox was also terrible but it's hard to rate him as he was obviously out of position; that missed header for the corner was...woooof. though.

Looking for some positives/silver linings, they were;

-Singh continues to look good; he was the opposite of Kopy in that he was outmuscling bigger players and fighting/scrapping for everything. It was pretty impressive to watch.

-Krishna looks hungry. Was the best I've seen him for a while, but he just NEEDS support. He can't be the focal point.

-Nichols worked his ass off. He was running up and down defending the entire game, usually due to the fact we had no midfield, but he really did work hard. Unfortunately the team didn't go with him in that regard.

Swap Cacace with Fox and see how that goes.

Just one game, don't go writing players off just yet.

I thought Cacace was downright awful last night, lost the ball far too many times through poor passes or trying to take on his defender. Not sure he's ready to be starting yet. Any updates on the triallists we had on the GC? We definitely need to sign a right back.

Whether we were actually wanting anything from this game or not, the result definitely isn't going to do anything for membership sales. 

He was there, warmed up and spoke to him during the warm up. Said he was hoping to get some minutes off the bench but never came on.

Eh, I am taking experience from the last however many seasons of pain; first impression has usually been the correct one. Though Paracki did look good those first couple of games..

Kopy didn't just look off the pace - he looked like someone who was trying to take a step up in quality and struggled with the pace of the game. Considering the game wasn't even that quick compared to your average A-League game, it's a worry.

lost the dressing room already?

Look you don't get to where he has i the game if you're below A-League quality.  I'm not saying he's going to be a super star, and I too was far from impressed by last night, but there has to be a reason why he's had a number of seasons as a pro in a good European league

Plenty of imports have come from being a 'pro in a good Euro league' and done poorly in the A-League.

Kopy was out of favour there, and from fans comments seemed to be an average player in their eyes and no big loss.

We'll wait and see, but first impressions aren't good.

"David has been overseas, and I watched a lot of his games. He is a more mature player now, more experienced. He looks better than when he left - that’s what European football does for you. He had offers for more money elsewhere too, but he came to us. He’s on the Gold Coast, even though he hasn’t trained yet. He has a hip problem but he will be OK in a week or two."

https://www.foxsports.com.au/football/a-league/sim...

And the squad was announced an hour before kick off.

What we seem to forget is this is Rudan's first time as a professional coach. He's talking a big game but right now it's all theory, it might be a few games before he is also up to speed.

Maybe he was using his Google Maps app on his phone to try and find the dressing room?

Or perhaps looking at/talking to potential signings?

I was going to make a joke about the stalking of <insert fox sports host name here> but I don't want this site to be sued

I was also at the game last night (was lucky enough to be a part of group that took the fan bus to and from the game, so thanks very much to all involved) and had some taking points;

First 'competitive' game this year/season? Fitness wasn't there, of course.

Was impressed with Taylor, Singh and Krishna. I actually thought we were unlucky not to score early on - keeper made a good save.

Thought Cacace had a mixed bag. Played right to the oppositions feet a few times but also looks very calm in possession which is great to see for someone so young. 

Burns was nippy and quick but didn't seem to have a lot to aim for - I think having a proper '9' would help?

Gutted to lose to non a-league opposition..dissapointing result, but i'll take a loss in the FFA for a playoff place in the league, no doubt.

To be honest, I'm concerned after this performance, I saw nothing that was advertised by Rudan, like fighting and a winning mentality. I'm suspicious about this coach, hopefully I'm wrong and we will play the greatest season ever.

to be fair I wouldn't have had any interest playing on that sharke pitch

Eh? The pitch was fine. Better than a lot of A-League pitches I've seen.

So much judgement 

My main concern is the idea of Dylan Fox in DM. That is wacky and wack.

Dura maybe at a pinch, but not Fox. I think only one of Fox, Lowry and Dura can start come a competitive game.

A fit Williams could make a real impact. How much would this squad benefit from Ridenton at the moment?

I feel sure Kopa will improve despite Valeo's angst. Early days.